Motor-vehicle steering mechanism.



L. C. SHARP.

MOTOR VEHICLE STEERING MECHANISM.

APPLICATION FILED OCT. 21. I917.

34 44 as 35 as F W H 4 2 0% \J k j o o U f 37 L. C. SHARP, Elwuemtoz.

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L. C. SHARP.

MOTOR VEHICLE SIEEBING MECHANISM.

APPLICATION HLED OCLZT. I917- Patented Apr. 15, 1919.

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LEE 0. SHARP, or PLAT'IIBMOUTH, NEBRASKA.

moron-tremors smssme MEOHANISM.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Apr. 15, 1919.

nppueandn medteeteer 27, 1"917. seen no. 198,892.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, Len G. Srmnr, aeitizen of the United States, and a resident of rlsttsmoutn, in the county oi? Cass and "State pf Nebraska, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Motor-Vehicle Steering Mechanism, of which the following is a specification My invention relates to steering mechanisin for inottir-ythicles, and it is the object thereofte revite in such mechanism means for cenne'eting the steer'ing-post end the werin-ancl -wormwheel device, by which said parts are maintained in operative relation Without special adilgstnient thereof, and the transmission of virations to the steeringpost suhstan'tially eliminated. Further objects of my invention are to provide in a. mechanism of this "class certain structural detttilsfajciiitating the assembling and adjiistfliereoif, as will he hereinafter hilly set In the aceom'paii ing drawings 1 is aside view of mea anism embeiiyingin invennen, Fi 2 is'a longitudinal seetien t ereof entire diagonal lane of the lines of Figs. rend s, and ig; Sis a transverse seeing? thereof on the diagonal and slightly b fiplgne of the lines 3'3 of Figs. 1 and 2.

"1 e il nstreted mechanism i'sespeeiefl deigned fer use entire well-known ere m et 'r vehieles, and is intended to be substituted for the pleas crank deviee commonly v etitne lower end er the steering-'pbst in said vehicles. Th re are seem in the drawings certain of the ordinary parts of ext 1 vehicle, said parts beis those with N mechanism isassdcihted and conii'btd'w en in u'ee bflt'itwill bel'ifldefitb'od thiit 'Ihy" in ention 1S applicable to any steep ili igmehanism eftnegenersl type'diselosed.

I associated parts above refer-ream are the lower portion of the steering-post or shaft 4, a part of the crank-case -5 of the engine, the linttom-plate or ebve'r 6' of said rank-ease, portions of the engine cylinders 7" and thecrank Ewhich is ordinarily carried on the'lower end of the steering post, said crenkteing that whose movement is communicated to the steering-knuckles by means of e per menting-red of which one end has egsotket fitting upon the ball-head 9 of theertnk. r y p 5 In the eonstruetien'illustrated, the knuckle actuating crank' 8 is carried on the lower part of'a stem 10 which extends at right an les to the axis of the steering-post 4, the huh of the crank fitting upon a trance-conioal portion 11 of the stem, and being held thereon by meansof a nut 12 screwed on the threaded end'portion thereof. The conical portion 11 is provided also with a key 13, shown in Fig. 3, and the entire lower portion of the stern 10 is the same in form as the lower end of the steering-post 4, so that the crank 8 is interchangeable between the ordi-nary position thereof and the position in which it is used in the structure illustrated. On the upper end of the stem 10 a wormwheel 14 is secured by means of a key 15,8316. said worm-wheel meshes with a worm 16 having a hexagonal or other non-circular axial opening through it. Fitting slidably within said axial opening of the worm is a sleeve 17 which is secured upon the trun'eoconical lower end-portion of the steeringpost 4 by means of a key i8 and nut 19, the latter being screwed onto the threaded end of the steering-post, as shown. The sleeve 17 thus occupies the same place on the steeringpost from which the crank 8 is removed when substituting the wo'rm-and worm-wheel device for the plain crank mechanism. A c'a'sing or housing is provided, comprising intersectin'g tubular portions 20 and Qi inclosing respectively the worm and worm-wheel, and portions 22 and 23 which are respectively oaxial with the tubular portions 20 and 21. The bore of the part 22 is larger than the diameter of the steering- 0st, or so that the sleeve 17 may be passed trough the same in assembling the parts, and the upper end of the annular space between the steering-post and ealsin is closed by a packing-washer 24: 61 felt or he like, dis osed in ecountei'bore tit the up er end of t e casing as shown in Fig. 2, sad washer being adapted to exclude dust and the like from the casing. The worm 16 is supported revolubly in the easing-part 20, having ball-races 25 and 26 dispissed on the upper and lower ends thereof, said races fitting against balls 27, and the latter engaging fixed races 28 and 29 disposed respectively at the upper and lower ends of the casing-part 20. The lower ball-race 29 is screwed into the end of the casing and is retained in adjusted positions therein by means of a hollow cap or screw-plug 30, said ea or lug serving both as a lockn'ut or retainer or the ball-race and as a closure for the lower end of the worm charnber. The casing-part 23 is bored to receive rotetably a sleeve 31 having an eccentric longitudinal opening in which the stem 10 fits revolu'bly. Set-screws 32 extending through the side of the casing-part 23 engage the side of the sleeve 31 to retain the same in adusted relations to the casing. Rotation 0 the eccentric sleeve varies the relation of the Wormwheel to the worm, enabling said parts to be adjusted initially to a proper working relation, or readjusted to compensate for wear thereof after having been in use. The upper end of the worm-wheel housing 21 is closed by a plate 33 which is secured to the housingbody by cap-screws 34, the plate having at One side an oil-opening normally closed by a threaded plug 35. On the inner side of the plate 33 there is a lug 36 which extends down to the upper end of the stem 10 and serves to revent end-play of said stem.

he casing or housing for the worm and Worm-wheel is carried by a supportingbracket which is removably attached to the engine, said bracket comprising a pair of upper arms 37 extendin beneath the flange of the crank-case 5 an secured thereto by two of the same bolts employed for securing the crank-case to the engine-body, a pair of lower arms 38 extending beneath the crankcase and secured thereto by two of the screws employed for holding the lower cover 6, and arms 39 and 40 extending respectively adjacent to the sides of the parts 22 and 23 of the casing. The bracket-arm 40 fits against a lug 41 on the side of the casing-part 23 and is secured thereto by a screw 42 extending through the arm into a threaded openin in said lug, as shown in Fi 3. The brac etarm 39 fits against the on of 2. lug 43 on the side of the casing-part 22 and is secured thereto by a screw 44 passing through the arm into a threaded opening in the lug. The opening-through the arm 39 for the screw '44 is slightl elongated to enable variation of the angular posltion of the housing, by.tilting the same pivotally about the horizontal axis of the screw 42.

The operation of the described mechanism will be apparent to those skilledin the art, and need not be set forth in detail. It will be obvious that the axially slidable connection between the steering-post and the worm enables considerable longitudinal variation in the relation of the steering-post to the worm and housing, which avoids the necesmec anism to the hand-wheel sity of any ad'ustment in the assembling of the worm-mec anism and steerin -post, exce t alining the same by tilting t e housing re atively to the supporting-bracket in a vertical plane about the axis of the screw 42. The sliding or floating connection also prevents transmission of vibrations longitudinall of the steering-post from the wormat the upper end of the steering-post. The worm and worm-wheel bearings, being held in the housing independently of the steering-post may be adjusted to a, proper working relation when assembled at the factory, and the adjustment thereof need not be changed or disturbed when the steering me-chamsm is applied to the vehicle, since the sleeve 17 may be attached to the steering-post and inserted through the bore of the housing-part 22 without removal of any part of the housing inclosure except the acking-washer 24. This facility of assemb y without altering the adjustment of the wor ing parts, is particularly desirable in a steering device of this character, intended to be supplied to the owners of used vehicles and substituted for other forms of steering devices thereon. It will be seen, however, that the invention is desirable and equall applicable when the mechanism is adopte as a art of the initial construction of a motor-ve icle, although in this event various minor details of the structure shown might be chan ed to conform with the associated parts 0 the vehicle on which it might be used.

Now, havin described my invention, what I claim and (l esire to secure by Letters Patent 1s:

1. In a steerin mechanism for motorvehicles, the com ination with asteeringpost and a worm disposed coaxiall v therewith, of a fixed housing for said worm, bearin means revolubly supporting said worm in said housing, and means forming an axially slidable connectionbetween the steeringpost and worm and adapted to transmit rotary movement from the one to the other.

2. In a steering mechanism for motorvehicles, a steering-post, a worm alined axially therewith, a fixed housing inwhich said worm is revolublymounted, s i -wh el mounted in said housing. and meshing ,with the worm, and means connecting the worm and steerin 0st in fixed rotational and axiall slidailg relation to each other.

3. n a steering mechanism for motorvehicles, a fixed housing, .aiworm-wheel a worm meshi .therewith'and mountedlrevolubl in said ousing, said worm having 'an, axial opening of non-circular transverse sectional form, and a steering-post havinga part fittin slidably within said oening through 1'. e Worm and insertible t -erein throufh an opening in the housin v 4. n a steering mechanism or motorvehicles, a fixed housing, a worm-wheel revolubly mounted therein, a tubular worm meshing with said worm-wheel and revolubly mounted in longitudinally fixed relation to the housing, a steeringpost alined axially with said worm and extending into the bore thereof, and a sleeve secured to the steeringost and fitting slidably Within the bore of t e worn; and non-rotatively interengaging therewith.

5. In a steering mechanism for motorvehicles, a tubular worm, a member fitting non-rotatively and slidably within the bore of said worm, a steering-post on which said member is detachably secured, a worm-wheel meshing with said worm, a housing in which said worm and worm-wheel are revolubly mounted, a support for said housing, said housing being tlltable about said support to aline the axes of the steering-post and worm, and means for securing the housing and support in adjusted relatlons.

6. In a steering mechanism for motorvehicles, a fixed housing, a gear-controlling member revolubly mounted in said housing and retained in axially fixed relation thereto, a hand-wheel shaft alined axially with said gear-controllin member, and means carried by said sh(%t and insertible therewith through an opening in the housing to engage said gear-controllin member nonrotatively, said means bein reely slidable axially of said member an with respect to the housing.

LEE O. SHARP.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the "Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. 0. 

